The death toll from a landslide that buried three villages in eastern Uganda stood at 18 Tuesday , and rescue officials fear the figure will rise .

Another nine were injured and countless more may be missing , the Red Cross said .

Heavy rains sent rocks and mud crashing down on the villages in the mountainous district of Bududa on Monday , about 275 kilometers -LRB- 170 miles -RRB- northeast of the capital Kampala . At least 15 homes were destroyed , said Catherine Ntabadde of the Uganda Red Cross Society .

`` Last night district authorities requested all people in high risk places to move to a school that we are using as a primary camp , '' Ntabadde said Tuesday .

No bodies have been recovered due to the heavy debris that has buried some of the victims 100 meters deep , Ntabadde said . Additional equipment is expected to arrive in the remote area Wednesday to assist in the excavation .

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The Red Cross is working alongside members of the Ugandan army to relocate more than 1,000 people .

`` People are a bit reluctant to move until an incident like this happens . People want to stay near their homes and find out what happened to their loved ones and their belongings , '' Ntabadde said .

Torrential downpours regularly cause landslides in the eastern part of the country , particularly in areas where heavy logging has left the land stripped of vegetation .

Last August , at least 23 people died when a massive landslide swallowed homes in the Bulambuli district , about 300 kilometers -LRB- 186 miles -RRB- from Kampala .

In 2010 , another landslide in the same region killed at least 87 .

Rain , terrain slow recovery efforts after Uganda landslide

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Officials say 9 people were injured and countless more may be missing

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The landslide occurred in villages in the mountainous district of Bududa on Monday

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Torrential downpours regularly cause landslides in the eastern part of the country